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Paes pairs with Raymond; Bhupathi with Ellwood

Indian tennis ace Leander Paes will team up with Lisa Raymond of the United States for the mixed doubles competition at Wimbledon this week.

In their opening encounter, the No 1 seeded pair will face the unseeded pair of David Roditi/Sonya Jeyaseelan.

This is only the second occasion that the No 1-ranked doubles player will be teaming up with Raymond, the first one being the French Open, where they were top seeded and lost in the quarter-finals to L.Neyland/R.Leach, 6-7(8), 3-6.

Raymond is currently ranked eighth in the doubles individual ranking and was ranked as high as fifth in November 1998. She has won 10 doubles titles. In singles, she is currently ranked 37th and has won just one title. In her first round match of the women's singles at this Wimbledon, she defeated Andrea Glass 6-3, 3-6, 8-6.

Paes reached the mixed doubles quarter-finals in the last two editions of Wimbledon. In 1998, teaming up with Larisa Neiland, he lost in the quarter-finals to J.Gimlestob/V.Williams, while in 1997, he played with Ruxandra Dragomir, and again lost at the same stage.

Paes played three Grand Slams with Dragomir, starting with French Open '97, where they withdrew from the final-16. This was the tournament Mahesh Bhupathi and Rika Hiraki won.

Paes and Dragomir were together again at the US Open '97, where they again lost in the first round to Guse/MacPherson.

After this, Paes changed his partner and teamed with Larissa Neiland. Together they played in French Open '98, but lost in the second round. At Wimbledon '98, they lost in the quarter-finals.

At the US Open '98, Paes teamed with the Rika Hiraki and lost in the first round. This year, at the Australian Open, he paired with Katrina Adams and lost in the first round.

Thus, Paes has played with five different partners in three years and has had three quarter-finals appearences to his credit.

Paes's doubles partner Mahesh Bhupathi, however, will have a new partner in Annabel Ellwood of Australia, currently ranked 126 in the doubles individual rankings. As Ellwood is not highly ranked in doubles, the pair haven't been seeded. They meet Ben Ellwood/Asa Carlsson in the first round.

Bhupathi has a better record in the mixed doubles compared to his doubles partner. He was the first Indian to win a Grand Slam title, when he won the French Open with Rika Hiraki in '97.

At the ongoing Wimbledon tournament, Ellwood lost in second round of women's singles qualifier, and in the doubles, she partnered Lisa McShea, but lost in the first round.

Bhupathi started with Rika Hiraki and then moved to Mirjana Lucic with whom he played at Wimbledon '98 and lost in the final. The pair also teamed up for last year's US and Australian Opens and lost in the quarter-finals and second round respectively.

At the French Open this year, Bhupathi paired with Ai Sugiyama and lost in the quarter-finals.